Hello! My name is Dr. Deb Brown, and I am the owner of Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital. I grew up on a farm in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. I knew I wanted to be a vet since I was seven years old after taking care of my first pets, a pair of lambs named Bo and Peep.

I graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN with a bachelor’s degree in biology. I continued my training at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1994.

I enjoy all aspects of veterinary medicine. My special interest is integrative/holistic medicine. I earned my certification in veterinary acupuncture from the Chi Institute in Florida in 2001. I have also studied Chinese herbal medicine, western herbal medicine, food therapy, and homotoxicology (bioregulatory medicine). I want to be able to heal the whole pet and not just treat the symptoms of the disease. I love helping pets and their owners!

When I’m not at work, I like spending time with my two cats, Rosebud and Diamond Sparkles. I enjoy reading suspense novels, camping, and kayaking Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.

Dr. Blake Setness was born in Park River, North Dakota, and was raised in Neche, ND, located in the far northeastern portion of the state along the Canadian border. He attended his primary school at North Border Public Schools in Pembina, ND. While growing up, Dr. Setness realized he wanted to become a veterinarian while taking care of multiple species of animals, including rabbits, birds, fish, and dogs.

Following high school, Dr. Setness attended the University of Minnesota Crookston, where he graduated in 2013 with a BS in Animal Science with a pre-veterinary emphasis. While attending the University of Minnesota Crookston, Dr. Setness was active in the animal science program and competed as a student-athlete playing football. He continued his veterinary education at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 2017. Since then, Dr. Setness practiced at a busy small animal clinic in Grand Forks, ND, until moving to the Brainerd Lakes Area in August 2019.

In his free time, Dr. Setness enjoys the outdoors, watching sporting events, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his fantastic wife, Marie. Dr. Setness and Marie have a son, Arthur, who keeps them busy. The Setness family loves to spend time outdoors and take care of their two dogs, Gus and Sophie, and two cats, Oliver and Franklin.

I am Dr. Rachel Ganske, an associate Veterinarian at Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital. Originally, I am from Lakeville, Minnesota, and knew from the age of three that I wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. My parents liked to joke that we lived in a small zoo growing up, thanks to my passion for animals. 

I graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resource Science with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science and Minor in Marine Biology. I continued my education at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and in May of 2020 received my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. 

My family has always been holistically oriented in our health practices, ultimately leading to my interest in pursuing alternative, integrative, and holistic medicine modalities for animals. I was certified in veterinary acupuncture for small and large animals through the Chi Institute in Florida in 2020. I plan to pursue chiropractic care, food therapy, homeopathy, nutrition response testing, and Chinese herbal therapy in the future. I truly believe that the body can do a tremendous amount of healing if given the right tools to do so. I love helping animals become the healthiest version of themselves. 

When I’m not working, I love to spend time outdoors, especially in the water as I am a Scuba Divemaster. I enjoy traveling to new places and immersing myself in cultures that are unfamiliar to me. And most importantly, I love spending time with my family! Including my two dogs, Roxi and Ellie, of course. 

Hi. My name is Nichole, and I am a Certified Veterinary Technician here at Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital. I graduated from Argosy University in 2011 and received certification not long afterwards. I have lived most of my life in the Cities, but I am greatly enjoying it up north in the Great Lakes area.

I have been an animal lover since a very young age. My parents always said I would rather play with my stuffed animals than any doll. I enjoyed growing up with three dogs in my family and spending my summers around my uncle’s goats and helping out a family friend with her horses.

I greatly appreciate working with Dr. Deb and all the other wonderful, caring people here at Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital.

My name is Kalli Randall; I graduated from Ridgewater College in May 2014 in the Veterinary Technician Program. I have loved animals for as long as I can remember and knew that going to school to work with animals was something I needed to do. I started working with Dr. Brown and the excellent staff here at Pequot Animal Hospital in January 2015.

I have two wonderful little boys, Rowan and Xander, who are my whole life and keep me on my toes. I also have a cat named Boomer. I love spending time with my family and friends and getting to know new people.

I am glad to say that I am part of this team and that I love my job and helping advocate for our furry friends.

Hi, my name is Becky Charpenter. I graduated from MSB/Globe University of St. Cloud in June 2010 with a degree in Veterinary Technology. I have loved animals my whole life and knew from a young age that I wanted to work with them. After working 11 ½ years as a zookeeper, I realized I wanted to return to the Veterinary field. I joined the Pequot Lakes Animal team in July 2021 and have loved every minute of it.

When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family camping, fishing, and 4-wheeling. I also love spending time with my dog Poseidon, and my 3 cats: Chaos, Aris, and Thea.

Hey guys, I am Brittany but everyone calls me BPack. I was born and raised in Aitkin, MN!

My love for animals throughout my childhood made me want to pursue a career in that field, so I went to school in Ely, MN to be a Veterinary Technician.

My favorite things to do are very typical Minnesota things; hunting, fishing and cuddling my 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Greetings everyone! My name is Britt, and my whole working life has been spent in customer service. I most recently was a barista at Starbucks for 5 years. I have wanted to work with animals from a young age, and as of August of 2021, I accomplished that goal. I can say I am excited I made this change! I leave at the end of the day now knowing I have satisfaction in what I accomplish on a day-to-day basis. I took a chance and started online college and now have this amazing job!

It is never too late to go for something new that will make you happy.
Some fun facts about me? I love to read, play video games, listen to music, go to concerts, drink coffee and tea, and to spend time with my loved ones (including my 4 fur babies)!

Hi, my name is Jessica or Jess, anything but Jessie. I was born and raised in Lansing, Illinois. I first came to Minnesota in the fall of 2019 to intern at The Wildcat Sanctuary. I have loved animals from a young age, and my parents remember me telling them when I was eight that I would make working with animals my career. I have my Bachelor’s and Masters in Biology. After working at The Wildcat Sanctuary for two years, I realized that my heart lies in the Veterinary field.

I have two dogs named Skye and Summer, and I live in Jenkins, Minnesota. In my free time, I like running, hiking, hanging out on the beach, and spending time with friends and family.

Hi, my name is Laynie; I am from the Brainerd Lakes Area and have lived here till I was 7. I was an ARMY brat till age 14, then moved back to this area at age 17, and have been here since.

I have always had a love for animals and knew I wanted to be in the medical field but wasn’t sure which field, until I worked at Northland Pet lodge in 2022. I wanted to branch further into this area, so I accepted the job at Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital and plan to attend Vet Tech school to become certified.

I have 2 dogs, Nyxie and Evanora and a cat named Salem. In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time outdoors, hanging with friends and cuddling with my pets.

My name is Brianna, I love painting and anything art related! I am happy to be a part of the team here at Pequot Lakes Animal Hospital, see you at the front desk 🙂

Hello, my name is Krystyn. You will find me at the front desk! I’ve previously worked in customer service and home health care. I have always had a love for animals for as long as I can remember! Big or small, I love them all but I grew up with cats, dogs and a couple of rabbits in our home.

My job previously was at a boarding facility in Baxter and that led me into pet care. I spent 2 years with them learning about canine behaviors, canine training and safety. I loved it and I learned a lot about what makes a dog happy (: I made the switch over to the pet medicine side after a move to Pequot Lakes and have been blessed to get to work with everyone here at the hospital.

When I’m not at the Hospital, I like to travel- whether it’s to visit family in the cities or to one of the many MN lakes to kayak. Life is about the journey, not the destination!